Letters To The Editor

December 14, 2000

High Court Behaved Shamefully

The U.S. Supreme Court took careful aim and fired a broadside at justice on Dec. 11, and the shot is being heard around the world [Page 1, Dec.12 ``Fractured High Court Reverses Recount Order, Seemingly Ending Gore's Chance At Presidency; A Bush Victory''].

Will the country survive? Of course, it will. But, the justice system will never be viewed again in the same way.

I agree 100 percent with Justice John Paul Stevens who said in his dissent, ``One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.''

The decision was neither supreme nor justice. It was political and shameful.

Rosemary Horan Savino

Enfield

Votes Don't

Count Anymore

I have voted for over 50 years in every federal, state and town election.

It is very disheartening to me to me to realize after all these years that the people who never bother to vote were right after all. My vote really doesn't mean a thing.

Arthur W. von Roemer

Andover

Bridge Is A Sport

I think it is outrageous that you have discontinued the bridge score results.

There are many bridge players who subscribe to The Courant. The little corner once a week in the newspaper devoted to the game meant a lot to us. Bridge is a sport, too.

Marie A. Sumpter

West Hartford

`Palestine'

Doesn't Exist

I was appalled to see a country heading of ``Palestine'' in the Dec. 6 ``World Briefs'' section of The Courant.

There is no country named Palestine. The Courant can check any current map. To make it seem as if Palestine exists is playing into the hands of Yasser Arafat and his unruly terrorist cohorts.

Although the Gaza strip and the West Bank are considered Palestinian territories, they are still 100 percent part of Israel. To create a Palestinian country out of Israeli land would be unthinkable.

Israel is a mere pinpoint on the map already, about the size of New Jersey. It is surrounded by massive Arab nations that would love to see it obliterated entirely. If the Palestinians are so desperate for a country, they should ask their colleagues Egypt and Jordan to donate a few square miles of land. Egypt and Jordan wouldn't even notice the land missing.

I spent last summer in Israel. It is a breathtaking country, full of vegetation, which is miraculous considering the scant amount of rainfall. All the Palestinian areas were, in contrast, dingy, Third World dwellings.

Israel has elevated itself to a modern, thriving country in only 52 years. Countries that have been around for thousands of years have yet to make such strides. To ask that it give up land would be heartbreaking to every single Israeli who works hard every day to keep the land beautiful and safe.

Thank God that as of now there is no country by the name of Palestine.

Kira P. Goldenberg

West Hartford

Hospital Sale May Hurt Elderly Poor

Although it's nice to see celebrities active in trying to keep Sharon Hospital open, the sale of this hospital to a profit-making corporation may leave many area residents with no place to turn for critical medical care [Connecticut page, Dec. 11, ``Celebrity Support Lends Cachet To Hospital's Cause; Meryl Streep, Others, Put Issue In Spotlight''].

At present, half of the patients served are covered by Medicaid, the government-funded health care program for the poor. Would out-of-state owners, eager to turn a profit, serve this predominately elderly and disabled low-income population?

Out-of-state for-profit corporations started buying up Connecticut nursing homes several years ago. Many subsequently filed for bankruptcy protection. Several have been taken over by court-appointed receivers, and one was closed with the forced transfer of the residents. Other for-profit nursing homes simply refuse to admit the poor.

Certainly we need to keep Sharon Hospital open, but it must be done in a way that ensures continued equal and ready access to all. The proposed sale may fall far short of this necessary goal.

Edward M. Dale

Willimantic

The writer is director of the elder law and legal assistance to Medicare patients program of Connecticut Legal Services Inc.

State Needs

A Woman

For Governor

It's great to see that Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell is considering a run for governor in 2002 [Connecticut page, Dec. 7, ``Rell Explores Run For Governor; But She Will Back Rowland If He Goes For A 3rd Term''].

It's been 25 years since Connecticut elected Ella Grasso as its first female governor, and it's about time that voters put another highly qualified woman in that office.

Ms. Rell not only has served as lieutenant governor for six years, she also served five terms as a state legislator. While she was in the legislature, Rell was elected president of the National Order of Women Legislators, so she already has a reputation nationwide among lawmakers.

Of course, there's always the chance that she will be running against one of several Democratic women who are also considered potential candidates for governor.

George A. Dean

Fairfield

The writer is founder of 50/50 by 2020, a group that tries to get more women elected to public office.